National Security Agency

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 28, 2015

Obama administration announces that National Security Agency will no longer be permitted to keep old phone records used to analyze links between callers in search of terrorism suspects after Nov 29, 2015. MORE

Jul. 15, 2015

American Civil Liberties Union asks federal appeals court to shut down part of National Security Agency program that collects American phone records in bulk, move that may set up conflict between regular court system and secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. MORE

Jul. 9, 2015

WikiLeaks releases American intelligence document containing telephone numbers of high-ranking German government officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel’s top aides and senior figures from previous administrations; document, dating back to 1990s, adds to controversy surrounding United States intelligence service practices. MORE

Jul. 2, 2015

Newly leaked material by Wikileaks revisits question of when and how much spying National Security Agency did on German government and Chancellor Angela Merkel; files also cover discussions about Germany's position on Greek debt crisis. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

Embattled Brazilian Pres Dilma Rousseff plays down concerns about 2013 spying scandal during White House visit, saying she has accepted Pres Obama's pledge that National Security Agency's wiretapping has ended; Rousseff's visit seems focused on courting American investment as she grapples with tanking economy at home. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

American Civil Liberties Union says it will ask United States Court of Appeals for Second Circuit to issue injunction to halt once-secret National Security Agency program in which records of domestic phone calls were collected in bulk; NSA was given go-ahead to resume program by Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and ACLU request may pit two courts against one another. MORE

Jun. 28, 2015

Mattathias Schwartz First Words column contends word 'relevant,' when used by National Security Agency, expands to include all information gathered in bulk collection of phone records; says use of word allows spying on citizens with impunity, since no information is irrelevant. MORE

Jun. 25, 2015

French government reacts with modulated response to information published by WikiLeaks and media groups that United States' National Security Agency spied on French presidents and other senior officials from 2016 to 2012. MORE

Jun. 25, 2015

British intelligence documents provided by former National Security Agency contractor Edward J Snowden to The Guardian news media describe American drone strikes that killed Khadim Usamah, along with other such airstrikes and counter-terrorism efforts; documents raise possibility British intelligence agency Government Communications Headquarters aided American targeted strikes. MORE

Jun. 24, 2015

WikiLeaks releases documents saying United States National Security Agency eavesdropped on last three French presidents, Francoise Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac. MORE

Jun. 13, 2015

Harald Range, Germany's federal prosecutor, announces that he has dropped formal investigation of accusations that National Security Agency eavesdropped on cellphone owned by Chancellor Angela Merkel, citing lack of evidence. MORE

Jun. 5, 2015

Classifed National Security Agency documents provided by Edward J Snowden indicate Obama administration, sans public notice, has expanded agency's warrantless surveillance of Americans' international internet traffic to hunt for evidence of malicious computer hacking; disclosures come at time of pernicious cyberattacks, but also of increased scrutiny of legal rights for more government surveillance. MORE

Jun. 5, 2015

Op-Ed article by Edward J Snowden expresses satisfaction that two years after he revealed extent of National Security Agency's surveillance of American citizens, there is now wide consensus that such activities were illegal and many of them have been stopped; warns that while progress has made, right to privacy is still under threat. MORE

Jun. 4, 2015

News Analysis; Pres Obama's revision of National Security Agency's phone record collection program seeks to tailor program to his own competing aims of addressing privacy concerns while preserving means of monitoring terrorist activity; in so doing, Obama has solidified his ownership of controversial program begun by predecessor George W Bush. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

Senate passes bill scaling back federal government's extensive surveillance of American phone records, and Pres Obama signs it; legislation signifies significant overhaul of national security policy formed after 9-11 terrorist attacks, and is rebuke to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who fought forcefully against lessening government surveillance powers. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

Sen Rand Paul's libertarian stance on national security issues, including his rather lonely fight against National Security Agency's surveillance of American citizens, has endeared him to supporters of his father Ron Paul during former congressman's past presidential bids; many of the elder Paul's backers have been slow to warm to Sen Rand Paul, questioning his commitment to his father's ultra libertarian ideals. MORE

Jun. 2, 2015

Obama administration is pressing Senate not to substantially alter House-passed USA Freedom Act, given that authorizations for National Security Agency have lapsed and any changes to bill's provisions would necessarily entail lengthy negotiations that could delay agency's reinstatement. MORE

Jun. 2, 2015

Congressional Memo; Sen Mitch McConnell, after losing battle to extend National Security Agency programs, is being forced to embrace a House-passed NSA overhaul that he fears will weaken national security. MORE

Jun. 1, 2015

News Analysis; interviews with intelligence experts suggest that there are several available workarounds as National Security Agency grapples with temporary expiration of Patriot Act provisions that allowed it to gather phone records en masse; key aspect is 'grandfather clause' that maintains powers for any investigation that was begun before June 1, 2015; records can also be obtained by grand jury subpoena if necessary. MORE

Jun. 1, 2015

Provisions of Patriot Act allowing government to amass phone records temporarily expires following caustic Senate session in which Sen Rand Paul blocked extension; revised edition of law, which will curtail some bulk data collection by National Security Agency, is likely to pass in coming week; developments reflect profound shift in American attitudes toward data collection since days following Sept 11 attacks. MORE

Jun. 1, 2015

Republican Sen Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has been shunned and mocked by colleagues in his party, succeeds in temporarily blocking vote on renewal of section of Patriot Act that gives broad surveillance authority to National Security Agency. MORE

May. 31, 2015

Battle in Congress over National Security Agency's bulk collection of phone records is being waged among different Republican factions, with defense hawks squaring off against libertarians and new members clashing with old; Senate has been tasked with creating passable compromise bill, feat likely to prove challenging. MORE

May. 30, 2015

Pres Obama presses Senate to pass legislation known as USA Freedom Act, warning that allowing National Security Agency's domestic surveillance programs to lapse will make country more vulnerable to terrorist attack. MORE

May. 29, 2015

Editorial welcomes fact that provisions within Patriot Act giving federal authorities broad surveillance powers, which led to National Security Agency's collection of bulk phone data, are set to expire; calls for thorough debate regarding such surveillance powers and underscores necessity of balancing such powers with meaningful judicial oversight. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Obama administration urges Congress to reach deal on legislation governing National Security Agency's bulk collection of phone records before June 1 deadline, warning that failure to do so will leave United States vulnerable to terrorist attacks. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Pres Obama issues warning to Senate about risks attendant upon lawmakers failing to renew surveillance programs authorized by USA Patriot Act; it is unlikely that lawmakers will pass extension before scheduled expiration date, which means Obama administration and National Security Agency will lack legal authority to carry out such programs for some time. MORE

May. 26, 2015

Congressional leaders, with deadline looming, take unusual step of working during recess to reach agreement on changes to USA Freedom Act that would rein in National Security Agency's phone data collection authority. MORE

May. 25, 2015

Obama administration is examining how expiration of three counterterrorism laws allowing government to collect telephone and other data will affect future of effort, even as bulk collection of phone records winds down; at issue is treatment of phone records already collected by government and investigations already under way; Senate remains divided on whether to continue or replace National Security Agency's phone records program. MORE

May. 24, 2015

Senate's failure to advance legislation on National Security Agency reform highlights discord among Republican leaders; after failing to get extension of federal government's bulk collection of phone records program, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has found promises he made about Senate’s operation hard to keep. MORE

May. 24, 2015

Senate rejects legislation that would revise Patriot Act to limit federal government's bulk collection of phone records; vote, and subsequent failure of short-term measure to extend program beyond June 1 expiration date, raises likelihood that government will lose access to phone records after deadline, creating security vulnerability. MORE

May. 20, 2015

Former National Security Agency contractor Edward J Snowden, facing espionage charges in United States and living in exile in Russia, is speaking by video to audiences worldwide and gaining victories both in Congress and federal court; has no apparent prospect of leaving Russia soon, as prosecutors show no inclination to offer him acceptable plea bargain. MORE

May. 15, 2015

News Analysis; House vote to end and replace National Security Agency's bulk collection of phone records is striking because open debate about cost of national security has been rare in 14 years since Sept 11 attacks; highlights question of where to draw line between advantages of secrecy and demands for openness in shadow of war on terror that shows no sign of abating. MORE

May. 14, 2015

House of Representatives approves, 338 to 88, bill to halt National Security Agency's collection of data related to Americans' phone records under Patriot Act; vote places high pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring Senate, which is more divided on issue, into line with House ahead of June 1 deadline. MORE

May. 10, 2015

Brian McFadden The Strip comic offers up variety of real-life conspiracies that American voters should be concerned about, such as current campaign financing laws, police brutality and National Security Agency spying on Americans. MORE

May. 9, 2015

May. 8, 2015

United States Court of Appeals rules National Security Agency program that is systematically collecting Americans' bulk phone records is illegal; three judges say Patriot Act does not cover domestic calling records; provision is set expire June 1, and ruling is liable to ratchet up Congressional tension. MORE

May. 8, 2015

Editorial applauds ruling by three-judge federal appeals panel, which determined National Security Agency's collection of Americans' phone records is illegal; holds decision is just in time as Congress is now in debate over reauthorizing section of Patriot Act that allows government to sweep records of those suspected of involvement in terrorist acts. MORE

May. 7, 2015

German Chancellor Angela Merkel finds herself in midst of domestic controversy over depth and extent of country's role in European spying; 2002 agreement on intelligence sharing between Germany and United States is under duress after reports that German intelligence agency BND indulged in spying on corporations and individuals at behest of National Security Agency. MORE

May. 6, 2015

Germany's foreign intelligence service, knows as BND, is being accused of spying on European companies, and possibly individuals; reports say monitoring was done at request of National Security Agency, which BND denies. MORE

May. 2, 2015

News Analysis; proposal to limit bulk collection of domestic telephone data, centerpiece of legislation advancing in Congress, is meeting little opposition from National Security Agency itself; lack of pushback from the agency underscores just how dubious insiders were about the program from the start. MORE

May. 2, 2015

Companion article to Page One news analysis about National Security Agency's data collection program outlines effects of proposed legislation in House that would reauthorize mass surveillance programs. MORE

May. 2, 2015

Editorial asserts that USA Freedom Act, measure intended to alter Patriot Act by curbing government's ability to conduct mass surveillance of Americans, does not go far enough to protect civil liberties from National Security Agency data collection; holds bill is being pushed through in name of expediency, with promise of further reforms later; warns it is more likely that bill's modest reforms will be scaled back by opponents in Congress. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Declassified report from 2009 suggests that clandestine nature of National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance and bulk data collection program after September 11, 2001, only served to create more obstacles for American intelligence community. MORE

Apr. 1, 2015

Federal Bureau of Investigation identifies man fatally shot by police at National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Md, as Ricky Hall; Kevin Fleming is identified as second man who was shot and wounded. MORE

Mar. 31, 2015

Washington, DC, authorities report shooting of two men, one fatally, on grounds of National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Md; NSA security personnel say vehicle driven by two young men sped toward agency campus and ignored instructions from police to stop; officers fired on vehicle after driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, crashed into an NSA police car. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Op-Ed article by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Wikimedia Foundation executive director Lila Tretikov explains that lawsuit filed by foundation against National Security Agency takes issue with agency's surveillance of Wikipedia users; warns that pervasive surveillance has chilling effect on free exchange of knowledge, which can only occur when privacy is treated as essential right. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Former American intelligence contractor Edward J Snowden says he would like to return to United States after two years asylum in Russia and is seeking legal and impartial trial. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

French-Dutch digital security company Gemalto says it believes American and British intelligence services hacked into company's networks over period of two years, beginning in 2010, in order to collect mobile phone records; report is based on records obtained by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Editorial examines implications of NSA document showing escalation of cyberattacks between United States and Iran, with the latter significantly stepping up its capabilities in recent years; calls for acceleration of international efforts to negotiate limits on the cyberarms race, which is presenting ever greater dangers to privacy and vital institutions. MORE

Multimedia

In response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by The New York Times, the Obama administration has declassified and released documents related to the Protect America Act in late 2007 and early 2008. The documents fill in a gap in the historical record regarding the evolution of the Bush administration’s post-9/11 warrantless surveillance program.

As the threat of malicious hacking has grown, the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have secretly expanded their surveillance of Internet communications flowing to and from the United States, documents provided by the former intelligence contractor Edward J. Snowden show.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by The New York Times, the government has declassified a 2009 report by five agencies’ inspectors general about the Stellarwind program, the group of N.S.A. warrantless wiretapping and bulk phone and e-mail records collection activities initiated by President George W. Bush after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by The New York Times, the Justice Department has partially declassified this report about the F.B.I.’s involvement in administering the warrantless surveillance program authorized by the FISA Amendments Act. When the report was completed in September 2012, it was entirely classified.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by The New York Times, the Justice Department has declassified additional portions of these two inspector general reports about the government’s use of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which is the legal basis for the once-secret National Security Agency program that systematically collects records in bulk about Americans’ domestic and international phone calls.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by The New York Times, the FBI has declassified additional portions of a 2010 inspector general report about “exigent letters” and other informal requests for telephone records. The new version contains about 125 words or passages that were previously redacted.